As the team prepares for the 2014 NFL draft, the Bengals are in the midst of their first major step toward formulating a plan in each round.

Marvin Lewis and the Bengals are typically a fixture at the annual all-star game, as it is the coaching staff's first chance to get up close and personal with prospects at each position of need.

Practices are under way with the big game on horizon on Saturday, and the staff has been hard at work and doing its due diligence. The following slideshow will list positions and names to monitor as they fit needs for the Bengals and will ideally be on the board come draft day.

Offensive Line

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The Cincinnati Bengals are unlikely to retain backup swing tackle Anthony Collins, given his stellar performance last season as a starter in the wake of left guard Clint Boling's injury. Cincinnati will not have the cash to compete on the open market.

With that in mind, offensive line is a major priority for the Bengals, especially with a quarterback like Andy Dalton under center, who struggles when pressured consistently.

A player to groom as the eventual replacement for Andrew Whitworth is the idea this year, and that can happen at literally any round in the draft.

One name to watch this week is Ohio State tackle Jack Mewhort. CBS Sports' Rob Rang sang his praises after drills:

Mewhort utilizes every inch of his tall, stout frame (6-foot-6, 306 pounds) and large winspan (80 1/4") to engulf and control rushers. Based off tape and his performance in Mobile this week, Mewhort looks every bit the part of a future starting right tackle in the NFL.

Other names to watch include Mississippi State's Gabe Jackson, who can play any spot on the interior. With center a need, he may be a possibility for Cincinnati, but he will be gone in the first 50 picks, per Bleacher Report's Matt Miller:

Lot of great prospects on Texas A&M's depth chart, but keep an eye on Miss. State OG Gabe Jackson too. Top 50 player.

Picking an offensive lineman is boring, but it may very well be the way the Cincinnati Bengals go in the first round this year. Left guard needs an upgrade, so Martin can start right away and potentially be groomed to take over at left tackle at some point.

Defensive Line

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Defensive line is not an immediate need, but a team as talented as the Cincinnati Bengals have the benefit of luxury picks thanks to strong performances in recent drafts.

Defensive tackle is fine with youngsters Devon Still and Brandon Thomson sure to stick around. Michael Johnson is likely on his way out via free agency, but the Bengals still have plenty of depth at end thanks to Robert Geathers, Carlos Dunlap, Margus Hunt and Wallace Gilberry.

But this is Cincinnati, where a deep rotation is the name of the game.

Names such as Stanford's Trent Murphy and BYU's Kyle Van Noy are worth monitoring, although they are likely high selections and may be better fits in different schemes.

One name to keep an eye on is Auburn's Dee Ford, who is suddenly a major prospect thanks to his performance thus far:

As far as rotational pass-rushers go, Ford fits right in as a player that the staff can mold. Should the Bengals for some reason choose to nab an interior player, Arizona State's Will Sutton or California's Deandre Coleman would be a surefire contributor down the line. They have explosive first steps that allow them to rush the passer effectively.

Clarke's story as a raw physical specimen in need of proper coaching should sound very familiar. At 6'7" and 273 pounds, he fits right in with the Bengals as a rotational pass-rusher. The guidance of the coaching staff turned a risky pick in Johnson into an every-down player who is worthy of the franchise tag, and the same thing could happen with Clarke.

The Bengals will likely add depth at some point, and Clarke's upside makes him an obvious target in the middle rounds.

Quarterback

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Perhaps the hottest topic in the Queen City as of late has been the quarterback position.

One thing is for sure—the Cincinnati Bengals will not draft Andy Dalton's replacement in 2014. The Bengals simply pick too late in the first round to find a talent who can take over right away and be better than Dalton.

Not only that, he has one year left on his contract, and it makes little sense to not let him play it out on the hopes he can turn it around, especially under the guidance of new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson.

Unfortunately, the Senior Bowl has been more negative than positive in regard to signal-callers. Virginia Tech's Logan Thomas, Clemson's Tajh Boyd and Miami's (Fla.) Stephen Morris took the brunt of the beating, per CBS Sports' Dane Brugler:

If you isolated Tuesday's highlight throws from Thomas, Boyd and Morris, you would have three potential first round picks. But once you add the negative passes and lowlights from the practice, you're left with three physically gifted players who are wildly inconsistent throwing the football. There is still work to be done on these players, but it's hard not to be discouraged by this week's results so far.

Cincinnati is in a position to pick a project player to groom behind Dalton should the TCU product need to be replaced, but it is hard to argue any of the aforementioned three is worth the investment and risk with the team's championship window potentially beginning to ease shut.

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Eastern Illinois

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Derek Carr out of Fresno State and Easter Illinois' Jimmy Garoppolo are two names that the Cincinnati Bengals may have a major interest in this week, but the former is expected to go much higher than the team can justify taking him.

On this week's work alone, I have Derek Carr (QB Fresno State) as the top QB, but Jimmy Garoppolo (QB E. Illinois) isn't that far off. Carr's deep-ball accuracy has disappointed me, and his release isn't nearly as quick as Garoppolo's. That said, this is just a tiny part of the process, and Carr is still a much better prospect off of tape. It's important to keep everything this week in that context.

Carr is a talented prospect, but the last thing the fans in Cincinnati want to read about right now is inadequate deep-ball accuracy.

The Senior Bowl is just another feather in Garoppolo's cap at this point. He shattered all of Tony Romo's records at Eastern Illinois and threw for 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns as a senior. Scouts wanted to see if he could do it against college football's best, and he responded by winning MVP at the East-West Shrine Game and is now tearing it up at the Senior Bowl.

Second-best quarterback in Mobile, by far, has been Jimmy Garoppolo. Spinning the ball, quick & compact release. Like him a lot.